TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Carpe Diem Botanic Water | THE NIBBLE Blog - Adventures In The World Of Fine FoodTOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Carpe Diem Botanic Water – THE NIBBLE Blog – Adventures In The World Of Fine Food

This gentle line of “botanic waters,” a.k.a. lightly-carbonated soft drinks flavored with botanicals (fruits and herbs), is the antithesis of the energy drink made famous by Carpe Diem’s parent company, Red Bull International. Made from Alpine spring water with homeopathic plant extracts, the soft, natural sweetness comes from pear juice—there’s no added sugar. The net effect is a “spa tonic,” with only 70 calories per 16.9-ounce bottle. For those who want a real tonic, there are two teas, kombucha and ginkgo, which have functional properties (people have been drinking them for centuries to reap health benefits). But they also have double the sugar and calories. We’re more keen on the botanic waters.

Even if you don’t care for soft drinks or fizzy water, if you do like the sophisticated and different, Carpe Diem may become a new favorite refreshment. The line is popular in Europe, where it originated. Be the first on your block to give these charmers a try and introduce them to your friends and neighbors. (If you live on the same block as Courtney Cox, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields or Renée Zellweger, it’s too late—they’re already fans.)

Carpe Diem Botanic Water transports you
to a spa…but also pairs with your most
sophisticated dinner courses.

Read about them in the full review, as well as the origin of the phrase that begins with “carpe diem,” a Latin expression meaning “seize the day.”